"So you've been with Noboru this whole time?"
Yuiko shook her head, staring at the floor. "I was … so scared. I didn't want to be alone. And at first, it wasn't so bad. People really like Noboru. We made some friends, and then more and more. And we took on jobs for the villages we passed through. We were helping them, just like Noboru wanted. And then he …"
Yuiko looked at Kakashi, conflicted. "I couldn't … be there anymore. He was changing. And it scared me more than the idea of being alone. That was about 10 years ago. And I just hid. From everyone."
"He was alright with you leaving?"
"No. He does his best to keep track of me. He doesn't like that I have the scroll."
"You must be pretty good to have not been caught by anyone by now."
She looked at him then down at the floor.
"I can phase through things," she said bluntly, "It's a pretty good skill to have for hiding."
Kakashi studied her. There was one thing bugging him about her story. "Unless something has changed, you were always able to outmatch Noboru in combat. Why run from him? Why didn't you kill him? You're still a jinchūriki."
A sore expression flashed across her face. "Kokuō never came back. And I … can't beat him. I'm not strong enough."
Liar, he thought.
"Well, either way, you're right. We should get going."
He stood, grabbing his vest and sliding it over his shoulders.
Yuiko stood up slowly, studying him.
I'm sure she's wondering if I believe her story. What am I going to do, ask to have Noboru's body exhumed when I get back? This is a joke. And not a funny one.
He paused before opening the door. "I won't tell them I found you. I'll instruct Naruto and Sakura to keep this between us as well. I owe you that for saving our lives."
He opened the door and went to wake Naruto and Sakura in the next room.
—
Kakashi refused Yuiko's offer to guide them down a goat path through the forest. He countered that the main road would be good enough for them since they needed to backtrack to the nearest village to see if they could find any information on Mr. Ito. There was no proof to back up Yuiko's claims, and the more likely scenario was that they were attacked for the jewels Mr. Ito was carrying. This was now a search and rescue mission, and hiding in the forest wasn't going to help them find the missing jeweler.
Yuiko accused him of putting his student's lives needlessly in danger. The two of them angrily went back and forth before finally Naruto and Sakura stepped in saying they should get going. They thanked Yuiko for her help and hospitality and made their way to the road. Kakashi hung back for a moment as his two students walked away from the house.
"If I sense you following us, all bets are off. I'll even help the Anbu track you down myself."
It had been nearly half an hour since then, but Kakashi's blood was still boiling. He couldn't remember the last time he had been so livid. He had to remind himself more than a few times that he was a man of his word; that he would keep the fact that they ran into Yuiko a secret.
"Kakashi-Sensei, look!"
As they came around a bend in the road, they could see the figure of a man standing in the distance.
"Is that … Mr. Ito?!" Sakura said excitedly.
As they walked closer, they could see that the man indeed was Masao Ito. He waved and walked toward them.
"Haha, I can't believe it! Here you all are in one piece! I was wondering if you all had made it."
"We're glad that you're alright, Mr. Ito," Sakura said with relief.
Kakashi studied the man as he chatted with Sakura and Naruto.
Where has he been? He doesn't have a scratch on him. Was he able to get away from those shinobi during the fight earlier?
Masao turned to Kakashi. "How about we get going, hmm? It's a bit of a trek back to Konoha from here. What do you say, Kakashi?"
Masao gave him a playful clap on the arm.
'You're funny, man! Have we met? I think I'd remember seeing you around the academy.'
Kakashi studied Mr. Ito.
There's no way…
"Before we get going," he said nonchalantly, "how about I have my students go make camp? I'm sure we have a lot to catch up on."
Sakura and Naruto stared at him like he had three heads.
"Kakashi-Sensei, are you feeling alright? We haven't been walking for that long."
Naruto felt Mr. Ito grab his shoulder. He turned and saw that the hand holding onto him was nearly transparent. He could see lines of light twisting through the palm and up and down the fingers. It reminded him of the chakra flow diagrams Iruka-Sensei would show them at the academy. He looked into the face of the man smiling down at him, standing where Mr. Ito had once been. He was much taller, and quite handsome. He reminded Naruto of the virtuous protagonists on the covers of novels and movie posters. Glittering blue eyes studied them behind the strands of golden-brown hair that fell over his forehead. Naruto glanced over at Sakura and became annoyed to see her blushing. The man bent down, wrapping his arms playfully about their shoulders.
"I'm quite impressed with your students, Kakashi! They fought much better than I could have imagined! I know that this one is a jinchūriki, but from the intel I collected I was under the impression that he was an idiot. So the fact the he beat Ryūsa was a bit of a shock ... But I guess you have a way in bringing out the best in your students. Bravo!"
Kakashi threw a kunai aimed at Noboru's chest. Noboru vanished in a flash. Naruto and Sakura ran over to flank Kakashi.
"Who was that weird guy? Is he another friend of yours?"
"Stay close. Keep your guard up," he replied.
Laughter rang out around them. "You're just as I remember! A prime example of what a shinobi from Konoha should be. A shinobi who would sacrifice his life in an instant for the sake of the village. A man who is infallible among his peers. I wanted to tell you this before, but I would have 'blown' my cover. Get it? 'Blown'? Because of the explosives ...? Man … you never were that much fun."
Noboru dropped to the ground a few feet behind them. They wheeled around to face him.
"Look, you know Yuiko. You told her not to come, but she will anyway. She's an intelligent woman, but… predictable. I was checking in on her every now and then to see if she's come around. But unfortunately for her, all of my puzzle pieces have fallen into place, and I can't afford to wait on her any longer. So I pulled some strings and got you and the kid out in the direction I knew she would be. That seemed to catch her attention."
Noboru lifted up his right arm. The fingers on his hand made of chakra bent and swirled viciously.
"Armored puppet jutsu!"
His hand split into two glowing tendrils of golden chakra. They stretched into the sky, then came crashing down to the ground. They writhed and twisted themselves into humanoid shapes. As they solidified, they took on the appearance of full suits of armor. The suits simultaneously reached down to their sides, as if to grasp a sword from a hilt that wasn't there. As they pulled their hands back, swords materialized in their palms. They moved in unison, pointing their swords toward Naruto and Sakura. Kakashi noticed that the suits of armor were still connected through a cord of chakra to Noboru's arm.
The armored puppets shot toward Naruto and Sakura. They let out a loud 'clang' as the two blocked their swords with kunai.
"Naruto! Sakura!"
Kakashi's attention snapped back to Noboru as he dodged three large needles that zipped past. The senbon landed with light 'thuds' in the dirt before dissipating into thin air.
"Come on now, you're better than that! What did you teach us about fighting puppet masters? Go for the shinobi themselves if you have the chance. Focusing too much on the puppet and not the puppeteer can make you miss a crucial opening."
Noboru swept forward with amazing speed. Kakashi dodged, noticing that Noboru's puppets seemed to be working independently despite still being connected through his arm. Naruto and Sakura were holding their own, but Sakura's leg was still on the mend and Naruto tended to get sloppy when a teammate was in trouble.
I need to end this quickly.
He pulled back his headband, revealing the sharingan in his left eye. He clasped his right arm. A ball of blue light emanated from his right hand as a screeching cry filled the air.
"Ahh … the lightning cutter!" Noboru said with glee, "I'm curious to see how you've improved on it since we were kids ... alright then! Show me what the famed Kakashi of the Sharingan can do!"
Kakashi leapt forward. Noboru stood his ground, looking at Kakashi amusedly. As Kakashi got closer, Noboru suddenly whipped forward his right arm. Sakura, who had been grabbed by one of the armored puppets, flew directly into his path. Kakashi flung his right arm over to his left, causing his body to rotate and hit Sakura with his shoulder. He dismissed the lighting cutter, but not before he sustained a searing burn across his chest. He dropped to the ground and struggled to catch his breath amid the pain.
"Your other student is quite amusing," Noboru quipped.
Kakashi looked over to see that Naruto was using shadow clones to keep the puppet at a distance. Every few seconds the puppet would open up its chest plate like a clam and trap a clone inside. The clones disappeared in a puff of smoke as the armor clamped down.
"This one ... not so much. She used substitution a few times, but I don't think she was able to think up of anything more clever given the relentless attack. It's kind of disappointing …"
"Shut up, you jerk!" Sakura roared, "When I get free I'm going to punch you right in your stupid face!"
Noboru reeled with laughter. "I take that back! I like her! Kind of annoying, but endearing, you know? I'm sure you feel the same way. Which is why things are about to get very bad for you in a second."
The puppet's chest plate started to clamp down on Sakura. She cried out in pain.
"Sakura!"
Kakashi rushed forward. He reached the puppet, grasping at the armor as the pieces closed in around her. No matter how hard he pulled, the armor continued to engulf her.
Sorry, Sakura. This might hurt.
"Chidori!"
He thrust his hand against the breastplate. The armor glowed, and for a moment Kakashi thought in panic that it might be too strong. But a small crack formed, followed by another. The breastplate shattered, and Kakashi pulled Sakura out of the puppet. He sprung back, Sakura gasping for air in his arms.
"Wow! I'm actually impressed! I mean … I really didn't think you could break through that. So I gotta know … How many times do you think you could do that before your chakra runs out?"
As he spoke, the damaged puppet contorted in the air while his chakra formed a new breastplate. Within a few seconds it looked like new.
Kakashi looked at him with dread. "Who … are you?"
Noboru's smile faltered.
"Man … does chidori fry your brain or something? If we were in a different situation, I would say you should get that checked out …"
"Noboru is dead."
Noboru's cheerful expression vanished.
"I identified his body," Kakashi choked out. "I wouldn't visit his grave as often as I should have. I always feel guilty about that ... but I know plenty of others who do. Everyone admired him. I thought he could be a smug asshole sometimes, but beneath that he seemed to genuinely care about people. Especially Yuiko."
Noboru's expression shifted. All of a sudden, it really felt to him that the man before him was Noboru. The kid who always had a smile and a stupid joke. The handsome son of a wealthy merchant who had every young girl in Konoha falling head over heels for him. The guy who he once trusted with his life.
Noboru lowered his eyes, breaking their gaze. "That kid didn't die … he can't die, since he never existed."
Liar, Kakashi thought.